Seijun Suzuki: Taisho Trilogy Box Set

Maverick filmmaker Seijin Suzuki spent the 1960's concocting astonishing masterpieces of yakuza psychedelia, with such famous films as Branded to Kill (1967) and Tokoyo Drifter (1966). With the ambitiously stunning Taisho Trilogy, Suzuki reincarnated himself as master auteur of modern Japanese cinema. The three films, Zigeunerweisen (1980), Kagero-Za (1981) and ~~Yumeji** (1991), are considered by cult film fanatics and critics alike to be Suzuki's mightiest works.

Set in 1920's Japan, at a time when modernization broke the bonds of tradition and set the stage for the Japanese militarism of the 30s, these independent productions showed Suzuki's penchant for stunning visuals and unconventional narratives. Reaching new creative heights, Suzuki's Taisho Trilogy is cinema at its most fantastic and bizarre, and the films are now regarded as undisputed masterpieces of world cinema.

Zigeunerweisen (1980): A stunning film about decadence and nihilism in the 20s. the film centers on the relationship between four people drawn together by unseen strings of fate, and nearly driven mad by their own fears and desires.

Kagero-Za (1980): The fever-dream follow-up to his acclaimed Zigeunerweisen, the enigmatically erotic Kagero-Za is the second film in Suzuki's Taisho Trilogy.

Yumeji (1991): A sensual, absurdist ghost story spun around the character and work of real-life painter and poet Yumeji Takehisa (1884-1934), a chronic philanderer and dreamer.